Red Lion G3

Hi All,

I am doing my first project with a Red Lion G3 touchscreen (G315).

I am trying to understand how I call (or naviagate to) one graphic page from another page, and populate the second page with tag values based upon which button I pressed on the first page.

Most of my experience has been with Allen Bradley PV+'s, so to me this would be easy to do this using parameter files.

Is there an equivalent to using parameter files with the G3?

Thanks

To navigate to another screen you will have to create the second page first. Then on the first add a button with a goto page operation under the action tab.

Create tags in the data tags tab of crimson to hold the values that you set from the first page. You can also create tags on your PLC and point to these from crimson, again on the data tags tab. All the information is held in these tags so you don't have to worry about pulling information from page to page. You just put in a data primitive that points to these tags.

On a side note, what exactly are you trying to do? My experience is limited, but I've done several screens. There's only a few instances in which I would display the same information on multiple pages. I try to get one page to perform a set of functions and a different page for a separate set of functions. For example editing values on one page, say temperature setpoints, then navigating to another to view the real time value makes your system harder to use. These values would be most useful seen side by side.

califflash said:

On a side note, what exactly are you trying to do?

Click to expand...

Hey, thanks for your reply.

To describe what I am trying to do a little bit better, I am trying to use the same graphic page many times with data boxes and text boxes populated from different tags depending on which button is pressed on the source or main page.

I have a production line with numerous products (say up to 30), but then for each product, there is a number of variables that have to be changed (say another 30 or 40 variables).

I am trying to avoid creating a page for each product.
Hence if you are familiar with PV+ parameter files, you will know what I am talking about...

Thanks again

Crimson 3 is such an easy system to navigate, that you might find it easier to copy and paste your screens and duplicate them, then you can use tag folder hierarchy to edit the tags to have as many screens as you want, and set up about as fast, with the disadvantage of needing to be repeated to rebuild when you want to change them all.

Crimson 3 offers Master Slide pages. Basically, you can use any Page as an overlay or background for your current page. I use these a lot for common menu borders (navigation along the bottom, alarms and status across the top).

So master slides are something you may want to use for this.

There are also pop up windows with which you can build your own fully functional parameterization system, but it's not done for you. You get to choose how it works, but you gotta build it with Crimson tags and with your creativity, and your logic to get from A to B.

There is also what Crimson refers to as widgets that allow you to create your own reusable resource pane objects, but I have not made use of Widgetizing yet. I got a little confused during an earlier attempt. I think I need a walk through video explanation and example to understand widgets and how they might be applied in your case to extend and include the utility of parameterization as found in FTView.

One big recommendation. Set up your tags first. Set up data types, display types, colors, labels, descriptions and all that before you start using them (or as you begin using them). Learn to copy and paste-special-selective to make all your alarm tags the same format, color and for example, or to assign the same alarm ranges to all of your analog temperature tags.

Then when you use the tag, literally drop it on screen, it will pretty much be done. You can then drill in and deselect the tag referenced properties of the object, and make them different as needed. This is a huge time saver along with the slick alignment and copy paste operations in the editor.

Also, don't be afraid to rename anything at any time. Crimson will fix the tag name everywhere instantly. The only bug I have found here, is that if your tag name has two or more underscores between numeric characters, Crimson might alter the name when you drop the tag. It is obvious though and easy to fix.

Did you import 6 hundred various tags and need to organize them? No problem, make some folders, drag and drop your tags, put them in any order you want.

Better yet, make a folder first, get the tags all set up, copy and paste the folder ten times, edit each folders' tags' to change the core (address) only.

It's different. It is like switching from a Chrysler Luxury Minivan with Minibar and Fridge to a Ferrari with custom tuning shop, and trailer full of hand tools.

Paul

Probably creating several copies of the same page and changing the tags associated with each page would be the simplest cleanest way to do it. I agree with OkiePC about the use of folders for pages and tags. I also find the widgets very very very useful.
If you still want to try your idea of using the same screen for different purposes, here's my suggestion.
Create a tag on Crimson that will identify which button was pressed on the first page.
On the page where the data is entered, each field on the screen will have a tag associated with it. Don't associate those tags to any PLC value, they must be Internal tags.
Go to the Triggers tab of the field tag, and set "Trigger Mode" as "Change in Value". Set "Action" as "Complex". In the code for the action, write something like this:
switch (tag_from_first_screen) {
case 1:
tag_1_on_PLC = field_tag;
case 2:
tag_2_on_PLC = field_tag;
.
.
.
case n:
tag_n_on_PLC = field_tag;
}

Of course that '1', '2',..., 'n' can be anything you use to identify the button pressed on the main screen.
I haven't tried this in the real world, but I think it will work. Let me know.

Elcan; said:

I also find the widgets very very very useful.

Click to expand...

Alrighty, then, maybe we can sweet talk you into writing up a good tutorial or Camstudio video for us: "Widgets 3.0"...?

Thanks,
Paul

Ian, I did a screen setup that did something similar about a year ago. From a master screen the user could select one of several identical subsystems to view, however there was only one screen programmed that was reused. I set up the reused screen with unique memory tags. Pressing the main screen button executed a program that copied the subsystem tags to the unique tags, wrote a subsystem ID to a global tag, and then displayed the screen. Objects on the subsystem screen would not write directly to tags but would run a program that would use a case statement would select the right tags to modify based on the subsystem ID number and then write the value to the correct tag for that subsystem.

I don't know if that is the best way but it works just fine.

The programming language embedded in the G3 is quite powerful - take the time to familiarize yourself with it. C programmers should pick it right up as its somewhat similar.

OkiePC said:

Alrighty, then, maybe we can sweet talk you into writing up a good tutorial or Camstudio video for us: "Widgets 3.0"...?

Thanks,
Paul

Click to expand...

That is a video I would like to see also. I took a crack at making a widget and only managed to confuse myself.

Not that confusing myself is hard to do...

Alaric said:

Ian, I did a screen setup that did something similar about a year ago. From a master screen the user could select one of several identical subsystems to view, however there was only one screen programmed that was reused. I set up the reused screen with unique memory tags. Pressing the main screen button executed a program that copied the subsystem tags to the unique tags, wrote a subsystem ID to a global tag, and then displayed the screen. Objects on the subsystem screen would not write directly to tags but would run a program that would use a case statement would select the right tags to modify based on the subsystem ID number and then write the value to the correct tag for that subsystem.

I don't know if that is the best way but it works just fine.

The programming language embedded in the G3 is quite powerful - take the time to familiarize yourself with it. C programmers should pick it right up as its somewhat similar.

Click to expand...

Hi Alaric

Is it possible for you to post that program file here, or email it to me?

I would like to see how you did this

Thanks
Ian

Check your private messages Ian.


Edit:
Basically I can't post this particular Crimson program for reasons I explained to Ian, however I may be able to make something generic. With the Thanksgiving holiday I won't get to it for a few days. I'll see what I can do.

Alaric,
I second that.....the part about being interested in seeing how you used the program to relay the different values.....

KNeland said:

Alaric,
I second that.....the part about being interested in seeing how you used the program to relay the different values.....

Click to expand...

The code should similar to the one I posted.

Clay B. said:

That is a video I would like to see also. I took a crack at making a widget and only managed to confuse myself.

Not that confusing myself is hard to do...

Click to expand...

I remember learning by trial and error, since the documentation was not that clear. Once you catch the idea is not that complex.
Widgets have saved me a lot of designing time.

Guys Widgets are great I did the same project with Widgets and without. I shaved off 25% of my time that included learning them. I broke my tags up in folders. Linked the folder to the widget and off and running. I created 16 pages with the same robot images and status lights.
If I get some time I will try to put together a small tutorial on them.

JeffKiper said:

Guys Widgets are great I did the same project with Widgets and without. I shaved off 25% of my time that included learning them. I broke my tags up in folders. Linked the folder to the widget and off and running. I created 16 pages with the same robot images and status lights.
If I get some time I will try to put together a small tutorial on them.

Click to expand...

That would be great Jeff. I mess with it when I get a chance but I am still missing something pretty dang obvious.